The reason why not many people throw parties is they
are afraid of what this might mean for their budgets. While we wish we have the
budgets of a Hollywood A-lister who can throw lavish parties with a snap of his
fingers, that’s not the case, is it? Throwing a successful party is not always
about money. You don’t have to serve filet mignon and Norwegian salmon to
impress your guests and for everyone to have a good time. A combination of
mismatched chips and dips, signature cocktails, electronic invites, and
inexpensive buy tasteful decorations is your way to go.

We’re sure you have some things lying around your
house that can turn into decorative pieces. Forget about the fresh-cut flowers
you see on Instagram and Pinterest. Those are for the ultra-rich. You can put
together a centerpiece made of oddly-shaped knick-knacks and a scented candle.
You’ll be fine and your guests might even appreciate the effort you put into
making the decorations. If you have $20 to spare, go to the nearest Party City
and you’ll have a bag full of decorations after an hour of browsing.

Make Electronic Invites

There is nothing wrong with not having a paper
invitation, even if the celebration is about a wedding. You can invite your
guests via email or Facebook Messenger. In all honesty, these two channels
actually give you the opportunity to follow up on the invitation.

Turn It Into A Potluck

You can always turn your party into a potluck dinner
where everyone can (or should they choose not to, that’s okay, too) bring
something of their own recipe or from their favorite restaurant. Make sure to
supply the main food, though, because it’s you who invited them in the first
place. Your guests can bring salads, appetizers, drinks, desserts, chips, etc.
The food doesn’t have to be extravagant and luxurious.

Depend On Spotify For Music

Who said you need to buy music or hire a DJ to get
your party going? A party is all about the mood of the place. If the music is
right, you’ll set the mood just fine. Days before the party, open up a playlist
that you can share with your guests on Spotify. Ask them to add music on the
list so all of their favorite songs will play during the party. Worried that
the mix won’t be right? The playlist is going to show off your guests’
different personalities and that’s the point of a party like this, right? To
allow people to mingle and talk about various topics, including their choice of
music.

Choose A Signature Drink

If you buy different types of alcohol, you are going to
blow your budget. Stick to a signature drink and then let your guests either
bring their own drinks or settle for the one you provided. Don’t worry, once
the party gets going, everyone’s going to have too much fun to worry about what
kind of alcohol they are putting in their system. Just practice this signature
drink of yours days before the party so you’ll be sure it tastes consistent
throughout the night.

People often cringe at the idea of throwing parties. For many, hosting a party is both an organizational and a logistical nightmare. Can you imagine dealing with the stress of preparing the food, worrying that the band won’t show up, hiring cleaners to help with the dishes post-party, and decorating the house or event place in time for the guests to arrive? All these might make you think people who are fond of hosting parties are insane.

They actually are not. Studies have shown that people
are healthier when they are more social and they surround themselves with
people that they love. And what better way to see all your loved ones in one
room than to host a party? So, in fact, those who love hosting parties may have
a better understanding of what it means to leave a balanced and harmonious
life.

Will the stress of dealing with party suppliers and RSVPs kill you? No, right?

That’s just a day in a month or a year even. However, not being able to hang out with your friends or not seeing your family may cause feelings of depression and loneliness. So, forget your fears of throwing a party and just invite your friends and families to come over even for a simple potluck party.

1. Friends Are Good For Your Overall Health

Not only are your friends instant mood-boosters, but
epidemiologists have been saying for years that people who nurture diverse
social networks are less likely to develop heart diseases. Inviting friends
over to your house even for a simple dinner party can improve your overall
health. Make this a regular thing and you might just notice an improvement in
your health.

2. Teaches You To Face And Embrace Stress

Instead of running away from things that will cause you stress, why don’t you face the music and learn from it? Throwing a party is stressful, but that stress is nothing compared to presenting before your boss or running your own business. If you can’t handle the stress that’s born out of negotiating with event suppliers and caterers, you are going to have a hard time managing stressful situations at work.

3. Makes You More Appreciative

Seeing your loved ones in one room will make you more
appreciative of what you have. It’ll make you think that all the stresses of
everyday life are okay as long as you get to see these people regularly. At the
end of the day, even if you’re weary from dealing with not enough food and
booze and making sure people go home safe, your heart is full for spending time
with people who matter to you.

4. Everyone Loves A Party

You are doing this not only for yourself but for your friends and family. If you have the extra time and energy to gather these people together in one room, munch on canapes, and drink cheap beer, then why not do it? Parties are always reminders that people have fun even amid the day-to-day stresses of trying to survive in this world.

A surprise party is exciting to plan until you’re actually trying to execute and implement it. You’ll find yourself constantly in limbo and trying to come up with stories on how to hide the party from the intended guest of honor without rousing her suspicions.

They say that the hardest part about a surprise party
is actually bringing the guest of honor to the venue and that’s honestly and
unfortunately true. So many surprise parties have failed ultimately because the
guest of honor found out about it from the way everyone is trying to get her to
a certain location.

So as not to ruin a surprise party that you
painstakingly planned and executed, here are the top five cover stories you can
use to avoid suspicions from the celebrant:

A Small Celebration

Sometimes, telling your guest of honor that you have a
small celebration planned for her day is the best cover story you can come up
with. When the guest of honor already knows there is a small party waiting for
her, she won’t anymore try to investigate further nor would she think that it’s
actually a party for 100 people in her honor and not an intimate party with her
close friends and family.

A Weekly Routine Event

Does the guest of honor have a weekly routine where
she goes to a certain restaurant for some drinks with her friends? If she has
this routine down pat, use it to celebrate her big day. She wouldn’t even know
there’s a party waiting for her there because she’s regularly there anyway. You
wouldn’t even need to convince her to visit the restaurant. And if you want to
do it in your home, you can use the time she’s away to set up the décor and the
food so that when she goes home, everyone’s waiting for her.

A Sob Story

Tell her that you need to talk to her in person
because something came up and you need a friend. Make sure you’re good at
faking tears and sobs because you need to be really convincing to persuade the
guest of honor to drop whatever she’s doing and go to where you want to meet.
The guests should arrive 30 minutes before the guest of honor does.

An “I Forgot” Excuse

Invite the guest of honor to go walk in the park or
have a picnic. Prepare everything that she expects for a picnic so she doesn’t
suspect anything. In the middle of your walk to the park, slap your forehead
and tell her you forgot to pick up something from a store. The next thing you
know, you’re standing in the middle of the room with you and everyone else
yelling “surprise!”

A Celebration for Someone Else

If there is another person whose birthday or
anniversary is close to the surprise party date, use that as an excuse to go to
where the party is supposed to be. You can tell your partner or mom that
someone is getting a work award in a hotel, for example, so you need a date to
attend the said event. That will give you an excuse to ask the guest of honor
to dress up nicely for her own surprise party.

Easter Sunday is coming up, which is the culmination of the Holy Week festivity for Christians and the celebration of spring. There’s no better way to celebrate this event than having a traditional Easter egg decorating party.

Having an Easter egg decorating party is a nice way to get
everyone together. This is a nice activity to get the kids, adults, family
members and friends involved in the event.

Hosting an Easter egg decorating party is easy. All you have
to do is follow this simple guide to get the party going.

Below are the steps that will help you prepare your
checklist for the occasion:

Send Invitations

Get people interested in your event by sending out
invitations. You can use old-fashioned cards, personal emails or the social
media to spread the word.

Get the Materials Ready

What you need are several eggs and the dyeing kit.

Start by boiling the eggs first. Simply put the eggs in a
pot with just enough water to cover two-thirds of the egg and let it boil. Once
the water boils, turn off the stove and leave the eggs there for a few minutes.

This cooking method gives the eggs a moist texture with no
green ring around the yolks. After that, let the eggs cool under room temperature.

For the dyeing kit, you can buy them from a dollar store or
the supermarket. You can also prepare it all by yourself. We recommend natural
food coloring so that you will avoid buying stuff with harmful ingredients.

Easy-to-Make Natural
Food Coloring

Here are some ways to color your eggs using natural
ingredients that you can easily find at home:

1. Gold

Give your eggs a golden glow by soaking it in a mixture made
of turmeric and vinegar. The ratio of the turmeric to the vinegar should be 1:2.

2. Purple

To get a purple color for the shell of the eggs, simply soak
them in red wine.

3. Pink or Red

A pink or red shade for the eggs can be achieved by boiling
beets, and then put the eggs into the concoction.

4. Lavender

For a lavender color, prepare one cup of grape juice and mix it with one tablespoon of vinegar. Again, sink in your eggs into the mixture.

5. Turquoise

Strange as it may seem, but using red cabbage actually gives
the eggs a bluish hue. Just boil the red cabbage with a little water. Next, use
the natural dye to color the eggs.

6. Orange

Don’t throw away your onion peelings. You can soak them in
water overnight. The resulting mix can be used to give the eggs a tinge of
orange.

More Ways to Decorate the Easter Eggs

You can make the Easter eggs more appealing by layering it with other colors. Swipe a paintbrush with another dye into the eggs to give them contrasting colors. You can decorate the eggs with stickers as well.

Spice up the Easter egg decorating party too by adding
balloons, decor
lights and small custom banners in the venue.

Easter Sunday is looming which means right after we
observe our faith on Maundy Thursday and Black Friday, we can begin getting
ready for a traditional Easter brunch party. Are you tasked to host this year’s
Easter brunch? Is this your first time? Are you pressured because the past
hosts have been excellent at prepping food, decorating their homes, and finding
creative ways to invite people to their brunch?

Don’t fret. We’re here to tell you one thing: Easter
brunch is all about gathering together to enjoy the end of a long break (for
many Christian faithful) and enjoying the food prepared by a gracious and
generous host. If your invitees are people who are dear to you and who love
you, they won’t mind even if you just serve them deviled eggs. They’re going to
love your company, no matter what.

1.Put the Invitations Inside an Easter Egg

If you want to be extra creative in inviting people
over for Easter party, you can buy Easter egg containers from your local party
supply store. You can then print out invitations from your home printer, roll
them up really tiny, and put them inside the Easter eggs. You’ll find these
Easter egg containers from party supply and toy stores. They are the same plastic
eggs that our kids love to play with. Aside from the invitation, you can fill
up the containers with glitters or potpourri or shredded crepe paper. You can
be as creative as you want and people will appreciate the energy and effort you
put into the invites.

2. Tell It with Easter Bunny Chocolates

Are your invitees sweet-toothed? You can send over
chocolate Easter bunnies and stick the invitation with a ribbon to it. This is
also a great way to give a present to your friends and families, especially
those who won’t likely be able to attend the brunch party. Though they’ll feel
bad to miss out on your Easter host duties, they’ll love the idea of still
getting a little something from you. If you’re good at baking, you can make
bunny cupcakes, too, and put the invitation right smack in the middle of the
cake. Imagine just how surprised your guests would be to bite on the cupcake
and find an invitation just lounging around in chocolate goodness.

3. Use Social Media

Okay, if you don’t have the time to be creative with
your chocolates, cupcakes, and Easter eggs, you can always just make a digital
invitation and post it on social media. If you’re wary about other people
finding out about your party, make sure the event is private and that no other
people can see it except those who have been invited. You can post updates
about the party on the page to keep your potential guests abreast about what’s
happening. If you’re having a potluck party, the page is also going to be a
great venue where everyone can share what they’re bringing so no one brings the
same dish. Facebook, of course, is the easiest and most comfortable platform to
use for inviting guests.

Everyone wants to have a destination wedding party. It’s the ultimate wedding dream for any bride. However, not everyone is lucky enough to have the resources to hold a wedding party out of town or even overseas. For those who do have the resources, take note of some of these tips for planning a destination wedding party.

Choose a Meaningful Location

Why do you want to get married in Italy or in Florida
or in Paris? What special meanings do these places have for you? While many
couples are attracted to a place because of what they see on social media, not
all of these places should be under consideration. In the future, it would feel
good to look at your wedding photos knowing that the place meant something to
you and not just because there was a certain influencer on Instagram that also
got married there.

Notify Guests in Advance

Your guests have to be prepared to attend your
destination wedding so always notify them in advance where it is happening.
Even if you are footing the bill, it is respectful to let them know beforehand
that they are invited to your wedding. This will enable them to plan ahead and
take leave from their work. They can also prepare their outfits, their pets,
their families, etc. that they will be gone for a while to attend your party.

Consider Your Guests

Some of your guests will have diet and physical
restrictions. Don’t feel bad that your 90-year-old grandfather won’t be able to
hike a hill to watch you walk down the aisle. If your guests really matter to
you, plan for facilities that will make it easier for them to be present during
your big day. Destination weddings are not only expensive because you have to
fly everyone there or spend in another currency. They are also expensive
because you have to build non-existing facilities for guests who might not be
too comfortable with the location of your wedding.

Visit in Advance

If you’re planning your wedding in a particular place,
you should definitely see that place in person. Don’t ever trust a wedding
planner who says that everything looks perfect. See the location with your own
eyes because beauty is very subjective. Brides, in particular, are very
detail-oriented and hands-on when it comes to their weddings.

Hire Local Suppliers

If you want to save a bit of your budget, you need to
reconsider flying suppliers to your destination wedding. Instead, search for
local suppliers who also have glowing positive reviews about their services.
You will save on the cost of their accommodation and transportation if they are
located where you want the wedding party to be held. Popular wedding
destinations will never run out of reputable wedding suppliers. You can also
trust that they know more about the place than a wedding supplier from your
town or city. They can better plan and source materials for the wedding since
they are already well-connected in the local industry.

For starters, don’t call it a singles party because your guests may not feel comfortable announcing to the whole world that they are unattached and ready to mingle. Just bill it as a regular party where only your unattached friends happen to avoid (because surely, the couples have their own things to do). The next thing you need to determine is your purpose for throwing this party. Are you a happily married gal who just wants to see your single friends mingle with each other and maybe spark a romance? Are you unattached, too, and looking for someone to start a romantic relationship with?

If you think throwing a bash is the answer to end your
single-blessedness, then who’s stopping you from hosting a big bash? Oh, the
work involved in getting everyone in your place and having the time of their
lives? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Make a Favorite Drink in Large Quantities

This is not a Super Bowl party, which means you cannot
serve bottles of beers. More than anything else, you want this to be a bit more
cultured. No rowdy sports talk or anything like that at all. You then need a
signature cocktail drink, one that everyone will love to drink and be merry
with. You can check out some of the cocktail recipes online and make one before
the party to determine what you want. Make sure to have enough supplies to
produce this drink in large quantities so no one will be left wanting.

Don’t Decorate Yourself with Hearts and Red Stuff

Stay away from Valentine’s Day décor. Though it is
tempting to fill your space with heart-shaped balloons and red tablecloth with
red kiss marks as design, try not to be too cliché. Instead, make your space
look and feel happier with brightly-colored décor in the hues of turquoise,
tangerine, lime green, yellow, etc. Trust us, this will put people in the mood.

Do the Decorations Yourself

There’s no need to spend on a stylist to decorate your
place. There are many places both online and offline where you can get party
supplies. Simply hang decors or paste them up on your walls so your apartment
will look and feel festive.

Serve the Aphrodisiacs

The romance-inducing ingredients you must have on the
table are chocolates, figs, pears, dates, apples, honey, cream, oysters, lobsters,
wild mushrooms, and even tortellini. Throw a combination of these and you
should all be heading to a romantic night.

Potluck Can Be a Conversation Starter

What would fuel strangers to talk to each other? Food!
It’s honestly the great equalizer. Ask people to bring their own dishes to the
party so everyone can talk about how good the dessert is or how the appetizers
just make them yearn for more.

Eliminate Lounging

Remove loungers and chairs from your space that will
encourage people to sit and not mingle. Let them stand on their feet. The
longer they stand, the more they need to start a conversation to forget about
the pain shooting up their legs. People tend to converse more when they are
standing. Also, do not even attempt to open the TV.

It’s the month of parties, y’all! That means you’re either hosting a party, being delegated to a task for a party, or attending as a guest (the best one). But hey, there’s really no need to be afraid of throwing Christmas party bashes because your friends and family can help you to a successful hosting of parties. That’s right! Treat this holiday season as an excuse to spend more time with your close friends and family (not that we need an excuse for that but you get the drift). Also, this is a special season where we can bond over gifts, food, and party planning.

But hosting a party means being the leader of the pack, being the one to delegate the tasks to your friends and relatives. How do you do that without offending some sensibilities and making sure they are equipped to handle the tasks handed to them? How can you make sure that everything will flow smoothly without sounding like a bossy boss?

Ask them if they are willing to help

Don’t assume that everyone is willing to help you plan the party. Some just want to attend it and not be part of the planning process. Always ask your friends and family if they want to lend a hand in planning the party and executing it to perfection. Don’t feel bad if some of them don’t have the time or the inclination to help. In any relationship, whether familial, romantic or platonic, honesty will go a long way.

Know their strengths and weaknesses

Once you know who are those willing to help, get to know their strengths and their weaknesses. Are they good with accounting and finances? Are they good in haggling with suppliers? Are they good with crafts and other paper materials? How about a friend who’s into arranging flowers? Or someone who’s into calligraphy? Put their hobbies and skills into good use by delegating the tasks that they are skillful in. You may also ask them to take on the tasks that they feel they’ll do great. Allow them that flexibility and freedom.

Open the communication lines

Once the planning has taken place, make sure that all communication lines are open. Whether it’s through calls or text messages or online chat, always be available for questions and suggestions. Learn to listen to your friends and families regarding the tasks assigned to them. Remember, this isn’t a formal and paid party where you have to be strict with deadlines and such. Treat the planning and executing stages as moments that can bond you better.

Be open to criticisms

If someone had the courage to tell you that there’s something off with what you’re planning, listen with an open heart. These are your friends and family. They want nothing but to have fun during the party, too, and every suggestion matters. Don’t be such a boss because this is an activity that should bring your loved ones together. It shouldn’t be something stressful or awkward.

It’s that season again… the wind is chilly and the Christmas trees are all up. Businesses all around the world are trying to capitalize from this season. But there’s another question business owners need to be considering: should we hold a Christmas party for the employees?

For many, parties are a waste of time and resources. The money we pour into parties can go somewhere else, preferably into our pockets or into more investments. There’s nothing like a Christmas party for employees to set you back a few hundreds of dollars. Even thousands, in some estimates. And yet, offices everywhere are planning, executing, and looking forward to the idea of a grand or even simple celebration with co-workers and friends.

Strengthening Interpersonal Relationships

There’s one reason why you should definitely invest in throwing a party for your workers: parties build camaraderie and friendships. Don’t you want to be friends with your workers? Or at least, don’t want your employees to stop bickering and instead be friends with each other? Not tolerant of each other, but actual friends who want the best for the team and ergo, the company.

While we do team building activities all-year-round and we pay for seminars and conferences to build the rapport of the whole team, there’s nothing like Christmas gift giving, dancing, singing, eating, and general merriment to create a bond that will last beyond the walls of your office space.

Even the preparation for the party gives everyone an excuse to talk to each other and mend ties that might have been broken over the year because of work-related stress and issues. Can you imagine what one whole year of working can do to us physically, mentally, and emotionally? Most of us give in to the pressure of handling our personal and professional lives and at some point, we’ll probably snap at an innocent co-worker who simply wants to get things done. Of course, this creates office tension, one that even bosses are sometimes not allowed to interfere into.

Christmas parties are a great chance to mend fences and to reevaluate our relationships with our co-workers. We know that the pressure of the job is the only thing that makes us grumpy and we’re not actually horrible people but still, it would be nice to have a kind of end-of-the-year party where we can relax and bridge the gap brought about by office-related tensions.

So if you own a business, whether large or small, Christmas is a good place to start building a relationship with your new hires, mending fences that have been broken because of work-related problems, and strengthening the camaraderie of the whole team.

Is It Worth It?

Yes, maybe the current economy and the slow return of investment are reasons not to spend a dime on a single party where your workers are going to be too drunk to be functional the next day. Maybe it’s not exactly wise to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on food, music, and other forms of entertainment. But have you read studies on employee behavior? Employees are more productive when they are happy in their workplaces and they are happy in their workplaces when their bosses respect them and give them confidence.

For many, parties are a waste of time and resources. The money we pour into parties can go somewhere else, preferably into our pockets or into more investments. There’s nothing like a Christmas party for employees to set you back a few hundreds of dollars. Even thousands, in some estimates. And yet, offices everywhere are planning, executing, and looking forward to the idea of a grand or even simple celebration with co-workers and friends.

There’s one reason why you should definitely invest in throwing a party for your workers: parties build camaraderie and friendships. Don’t you want to be friends with your workers? Or at least, don’t want your employees to stop bickering and instead be friends with each other? Not tolerant of each other, but actual friends who want the best for the team and ergo, the company.

While we do team building activities all-year-round and we pay for seminars and conferences to build the rapport of the whole team, there’s nothing like Christmas gift giving, dancing, singing, eating, and general merriment to create a bond that will last beyond the walls of your office space.

Even the preparation for the party gives everyone an excuse to talk to each other and mend ties that might have been broken over the year because of work-related stress and issues. Can you imagine what one whole year of working can do to us physically, mentally, and emotionally? Most of us give in to the pressure of handling our personal and professional lives and at some point, we’ll probably snap at an innocent co-worker who simply wants to get things done. Of course, this creates office tension, one that even bosses are sometimes not allowed to interfere into.

Christmas parties are a great chance to mend fences and to reevaluate our relationships with our co-workers. We know that the pressure of the job is the only thing that makes us grumpy and we’re not actually horrible people but still, it would be nice to have a kind of end-of-the-year party where we can relax and bridge the gap brought about by office-related tensions.

So if you own a business, whether large or small, Christmas is a good place to start building a relationship with your new hires, mending fences that have been broken because of work-related problems, and strengthening the camaraderie of the whole team.

Yes, maybe the current economy and the slow return of investment are reasons not to spend a dime on a single party where your workers are going to be too drunk to be functional the next day. Maybe it’s not exactly wise to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on food, music, and other forms of entertainment. But have you read studies on employee behavior? Employees are more productive when they are happy in their workplaces and they are happy in their workplaces when their bosses respect them and give them confidence.

A stunning tablescape could be the centerpiece of everyone’s attention during a dinner party or in a matter of a few days, during the Thanksgiving dinner. Gone are the days when we simply “set the table.”

Now, it’s up to the host or the event stylist or caterer to “design the table,” too. These two concepts are extremely different with the former being more functional and the latter focusing on the artistic quality of every table and party.

The fundamentals behind a great tablescape are simple to understand for they are all focused on making the guests feel more relaxed and creating stunning table centerpieces while they’re at it. A great-looking tablescape can transform a simple dinner into an event. It can make the guests feel more relaxed. It can make them feel more welcome. It can create a festive mood.

What you need to understand about tablescapes is that its principles and fundamental apply on any scale and on any size. They apply from the grandest arenas down to the end tables of a very simple home meal. This includes your holiday dining table.

There are many benefits to including a stunning centerpiece on your dining table. Creating beautiful tablescapes will set the stage for the most memorable evening ever.

Gives Guests Something to Talk About

How do you feel about tablescapes in general? When you attended a wedding and the tablescapes are eye-droppingly gorgeous, don’t they make you want to take loads of photos for the ‘gram?

These tablescapes will give your guests something to talk about—whether the centerpieces are artfully designed or whether the colors are of the exact shade with the rest of the motif or theme. During parties, the hardest thing to do is to entertain guests. But if there’s a gorgeous accent such as the tablescape in your venue that they can talk about, then that’s a great opening topic for everyone.

Remember that when hosting a party, you’re not only being judged for the food you serve but also for how your party looks.

Creates a Festive Atmosphere

There are a lot of things you can do with your tablescape. If you’re imagining the loaded tablescapes we see on Instagram these days, that’s not what you’re aiming for if you want to decorate your house for the Thanksgiving dinner. Sometimes, less is more and that is true with tablescapes.

Depending on the season, you can design your tablescapes with what you already have in your pantry. For Thanksgiving, for example, you can create gorgeous flower arrangements made of orange and red flowers (the color of autumn). Besides these arrangements, you can put up mini pumpkins and strands of hay. We don’t think there’s anything more festive than that. Finish this look with the right candelabra and candles and you’re off to a great night.

Remember that choosing candles for your tablescapes should depend also on the theme of your party. Just a simple candle arrangement can change the whole look of the party. All of these elements will work together to create a festive and celebratory mood for everyone to enjoy.